In the production of pharmaceutical products, it is necessary to be able to produce different package sizes at low cost. This applies particularly to those pharmaceutical products in which individual doses of a drug have to be packed, for example, with, or in, a drinking straw. To achieve this end, it is necessary to adapt the entire packaging system in an easy and simple way to the production of different package sizes, i.e. to reduce the steps required to effect a changeover.
In general, devices for distributing products are well known. Usually, a supplying device, for example, a supply belt (in the form of an endless belt) and a discharge device, for example a discharge belt (in the form of an endless belt) are provided, a distributing belt being disposed between the supply belt and the discharge belt, which distributing belt can be caused to move, for example, transversely to its conveying direction.
The disadvantage of distributing devices disclosed in the prior art is that the corresponding packaging machines do not have the required flexibility for easy and simple production of differently dimensioned cartons or differently dimensioned units of packaged pharmaceutical products or that the steps involved in effecting a changeover from one package size to another are relatively elaborate.